


The Last of Us: Seattle Dreams

by crow_017



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Blood and Gore, Explicit Language, F/F, Heavy Angst, More tags will come up as more chapters are up., Suicide, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:02:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23796586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crow_017/pseuds/crow_017
Summary: The two girls are in Georgia, going to Seattle in search of safety and refuge and sanctuary in one of the largest Firefly bases in all of the United States. They start in darkness, and they're trying to find the light. Is that light they're looking for really with the Fireflies?
Relationships: Ellie & Riley (The Last of Us)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Pictures of You

Ellie looks out the window as Riley drives the worn pick-up truck with stained blood on the hood and grill— the vehicle wasn’t theirs to begin with. The previous owner had his brains blown out after a confrontation with the two of them. Ellie, was always good with whatever weapon you gave her. She has her switchblade that has saved her from countless monsters, both infected and human. Riley, was the sharpshooter after a lot of training with her mentor. More specifically, the leader of the Fireflies. Ellie turns on the radio, and the static drones on and on. Riley scowls as this continues. The sun peeked out of the clouds of an ominous, dark grey. It looked like it was going to rain very soon. Riley looked over at Ellie and smiled awkwardly, nudging her with her elbow.

“We good on supplies so far?” Riley asked, looking back and forth at Ellie and on the road.

“Well… Yes and no.” Ellie chuckled awkwardly, fiddling with her hair.

“‘Yes and no?’ What does that mean?” Riley tilted her head, continuing to drive as Ellie fiddled with the radio, in false hope that she’ll pick up something— anything.

“We have enough food to last us for tonight, but after that, we’ll need to go on another pit-stop soon.” Ellie dug in her backpack, picking up a small, pocket sized violet book. She looked at the title as it read No Pun Intended: Volume Too. One of Ellie’s favourites. She flipped through a few of the worn pages and looked for a good one.

“Heh,” she snorts. “I tried catching some fog the other day. I mist.” Ellie laughed as she then closed the book and put it in her backpack. Riley tries not to laugh, but she fails. Time goes on and the sun is starting to set. Ellie continues to search for a radio station, but nothing. That same, goddamned static. Riley sighed sharply, losing patience and smacked Ellie’s hand off the knob.

“Stop that, you’ve been doing that since we got here. Just… Fuck. There’s nothing on the radio. Nothing’s here to give us hope. Hell, if there’s even a chance of hope out there.” Ellie looked down, frowning.

“Jesus, I— I’m sorry.” Riley keeps driving, with one hand on top of the steering wheel. Silence fell upon them, the continuous hum of the engine was the only noise that was made.

“Ellie… I’m sorry. That was an overreaction. It’s just… I’ve been thinking about something, recently. We’re going to Seattle to find some kind of safety. Some kind of, fuckin’... I dunno.” They remain silent after Riley tries to gather her thoughts together.

“What are we even looking for? What happens if all we find there is just another abandoned safehouse full of infected?” Ellie puts her hand on Riley’s forearm and smiles.  
“We’ll find another way. We have another plan—”

“What ‘other plan?’ This is plan A, B, C— all the way to fucking Z.” Riley interrupted abruptly.

“Riley… What’s going on? You’re usually the one telling me to calm down.” She gives Riley a concerned look. Riley avoids eye contact with her, and she doesn’t say anything. “I’m not gonna stop asking until you tell me, y’know.” She keeps driving, not saying a thing. Riley’s distressed face speaks what she’s feeling more than words ever could.

“I— I’ve been… I’ve been thinking about if this fight is even worth it so far, okay?” She finally said after Ellie insisted.

“We’ve seen so much. Stuff that nobody our age should see. That shit keeps me up at night." They pass a clicker with its legs run over, the road is stained and cracked. She veers the truck straight at it and she finishes it off without a second thought.

"We’re not even eighteen yet, and we’re fighting to survive. Every day… I think about giving up. I wonder why I’m still here, sometimes.” Bump, bump, the truck shakes as the clicking sounds stop abruptly.

"What do you mean, 'think about giving up?'" Ellie's voice started to shake, but Riley stayed silent.

"Ellie, I—"

"This'll have to wait," Riley interrupted. "We need to make another stop for supplies." After arriving at a small town, she pulls over at the nearest convenience store and doesn’t say another word. The cars were everywhere. Some crashed into each other while others were scrapped. The moss and fungi were all over the cars, along with another corpse that is decomposing to brittle bone. The two got out of the truck, and Ellie grabbed a rifle that was laying in the back after tossing her backpack strap on her shoulder.

“You know I’m not gonna leave this alone.” Ellie said, breaking the long, awkward silence.

“I know,” Riley sighed. She took out her worn 9 millimetre and flashlight, checking her corners before entering the store. Just as Marlene told her. She pointed her pistol wherever her flashlight was pointing. Always check your corners if you go in a building, Marlene would always say. Get ready to shoot whoever is an immediate threat, because there can be anything beyond that door.

“All clear over here. Come on.” Riley stepped over the broken glass pieces and kept going, still on a swivel. Ellie and Riley always had a plan that they stuck to, the back-to-back tactic. Riley advanced forward and looked in the general direction in front of her, while Ellie would always take the back and keep an eye on whatever would try attacking Riley from behind.

“I don’t… Hear anything.” The store was dark with just the shine of the flashlight, and it was harder when it looked like it was going to pour.

“Alright, looks good. I’ll look over here for anything we can take,” Riley said as she dug for whatever didn’t look rotten. Ellie turned on her flashlight and she started to look around the wrecked convenience store. It was a wonder that the store didn’t collapse with its weakened, moldy and fungi infested walls, worn bricks that it seems like you could just take a piece off of the wall, and ransacked and shelves. The smell was just as bad. The fungi and mold that took over the walls and the floor is reeking with a putrid odor that could equal the stench of death. Ellie sighed as she looked over at the other side of the store, and she found a few drinks and a small pack of candy that looked... Passable to say the least. After some time passed, Riley looked over at Ellie.

“Hey, found anything yet?” She asked.

“I found a few canned drinks and some candy, so nothin’ major yet. You?” Ellie started to look over past the cash register and leapt over it, finding a double barrel shotgun. She looked at it, seeing if it had any bullets remaining.

“Found a shotgun,” Ellie said, walking over to Riley.

“That’s kinda rare to see one just laying around with it still intact. A little suspicious, if you ask me.” Riley replied. Ellie looked for more bullets, but the rest were used. About six shells were laying on the ground, some looked like they were stepped on.

“The shells look sorta new. Like they’ve been shot recently,” Ellie tilted her head and then she started to jump across the counter. “I think we should leave,” Ellie warned Riley.

“Took the words right outta my mouth—” Hard, quick, and uneven footsteps along with a low, dark growling interrupt Riley’s train of thought. “Fuck. Ellie, time to make use of that shotgun.” Riley points her pistol at the runner that stops in the middle of the street, mumbling on incoherent nonsense. The runner wears a bloodstained hunter green flannel, and its skin is more pale than the winter snow. The fungus was starting to grow off the runner’s neck where it previously got bitten. Runners and stalkers are more commonly seen and do more damage in herds.

“If there’s one… There should be more of these fuckers somewhere,” Ellie whispered to Riley. “Keep your eyes peeled.” Ellie advances forward and cocks the double-barrel shotgun. “You go get the truck, and I’ll go and distract them.” Ellie told Riley.

“But… Will you be okay?” Riley asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just go.” She said, cocking her shotgun and giving a determined smile that would intimidate whoever crossed her. She walked out of the store, into the shadows and into the light, pumping out the shotgun bullets at the runner. “C’mon, you sumbitch!” She screamed at the runners who were charging after the determined girl who ran at them with no second thoughts or hesitation, with nothing but determination to survive. A true warrior. That was one of the things that Riley liked, or hell— loved about her. Riley snuck into the truck as gunfire ensued. There weren’t any infected around the truck, but there was something worse.

“Hunters? Fuck me…” Riley mumbled as the Hunters were walking around, some were armed to the teeth but all of them were larger than both the girls fused together. Two of them were sitting on the hood of the pick-up.

The Hunters are a group that brutally murder the innocent and take whatever they had. Whoever is considered “useless” are banished, and they kill whoever isn’t their own and on their territory. They started in Pittsburgh, but then grew to be nationwide due to their reputation of merciless and reckless strength.

“We really have to patrol in this area?” One of them asked, groaning. “I barely got any fuckin’ sleep because of my bunk-mate who snores all the goddamn time.” He said.

“Shit, y’ just gonna have to man up.” The other chuckled. “Either that, or you can sleep outside.” He rolled his eyes. “Plus, Dylan said he heard gunshots over there somewhere. They were gonna check it out.”

“Oh, fuck you.” The Hunter rolls his eyes as he gives his partner the middle finger. “Honestly, that seems better than hearing that fatass snorin’—” Before he could finish, a bullet lodges in his head and he collapses to the ground. Riley ran up to the remaining one while he froze and she shot him in the stomach three times. Blood leaks through the man’s shirt and he tries to grab Riley with his large, callused hands. Before he could, she shot him once more and he came tumbling down. Riley jumps in the truck and starts the engine, running over the two Hunters as she puts her foot on the gas pedal. She finds Ellie cornered and fending off the runners who came for blood after hearing the gunshots. Riley speeds up, ramming into more of them and stopping for Ellie.

“Get in!” She yelled, opening the door for her.

“Just in time!” Ellie ran over to the truck after jumping out of cover, only to collapse on the ground. “Augh! Jesus fuck!” She cried as a bullet penetrated her right leg.

“Goddammit!” Riley found the Hunter that hid behind some cover. She started shooting her 9 millimetre at the Hunter, eventually shooting him in the shoulder. “Get in, now!” Ellie gets up with as much strength as she can and limps toward the truck, slamming the door after her. Ellie’s breathing quickens and she starts to tremble.

“D-Drive!” She screamed in pain as Riley slammed on the gas pedal and left like a bat out of hell, heading for the nearest exit she could find.

“Are you okay!?” Riley said. “Fuck, I shouldn’t have left you alone!” She whimpered.

“I-I’m alive… I just need some alcohol and bandages— Ah, fuck!” She grabs her backpack and digs for some cloth, but she couldn’t find any rubbing alcohol. “Shit. It’s not enough to dress a wound, but I’ve been through worse.” Ellie lifted her jeans up and wrapped the bandage around her leg, and she inhaled sharply in pain.

“You sure you’ll be okay? Lemme pull over where we can rest and I’ll help you.” Riley said. “Just hold on, okay?” Riley continues to drive, passing through worn sign after worn sign.

“I’ll live. ’S what I’ll always do.” Ellie smiled through the pain. “To the edge of the universe and back. Endure and survive.”

“Ellie…” Riley looked over at Ellie and gave her a solemn face. “All roads lead to the same end.”


	2. When It Rains, It Pours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an unexpected encounter with the infected and The Hunters, Riley and Ellie are forced to retreat. With Ellie's leg wounded, they're desperate to find medical supplies and a place to rest until their journey tomorrow. Will they get there in time?

It was a fifteen minute drive since they left the convenience store. Riley made two rights and a left turn to lose them and make sure that The Hunters didn't catch up to them. A discouraged Riley was looking for signs, trying to find a place of rest. The skies were still a dark and bleak grey, and the thunder was growling menacingly. No lightning yet, but it sure as hell looked like it was going to pour soon. The roads were cracked, filled with various potholes both big and small. Riley dodged as many as she could, but ended up hitting a few. She looked back and forth at Ellie and at the road, constantly checking on her. It wasn't just because Riley was worried about her, it was instinct for her to. The pine trees stood tall and the vines overtook the large power-lines that once worked and powered the various homes and stores that humans once called "theirs."

"Hey, how you holdin' up?" Riley asked once again, looking over at the road and then at Ellie. 

"Fine and fucking dandy," she replied, groaning in pain. "Think we'll find a place soon? We'll need to get some rest for the night. And plus, we found jack shit at that store." Ellie took off her red flannel, wearing an overly large, sun-faded grey print shirt of a moth and a large red circle behind it. She takes off the once-clean and white bandage. "Ugh," Blood dripped off the blood-soaked bandage as she wrapped the flannel around her leg. 

"I'm looking," Riley replied. "Just— gimme a fuckin' minute." Riley presses on the gas pedal, now going seventy. Her heartbeat is going faster than the pick-up, and her breathing is uneven. Riley anxiously looks around for a sign, finally finding one. "Black Swan Housing Projects," it read in large print. She slows down and finds a closed gate. She rams into the gate, making it open and breaking in the process. Riley advances slowly, looking for anybody that occupies the projects. Some houses were magnificently built, while others were still in the works. Most of them were two story houses while a few were three. They all were worn, though. There were no cars in sight, only a few wild animals that were laying around here and there. Stray cats strutted around like they were the new owners while a few buzzards were feasting on a corpse that looked a week old. The buzzards pulled off the blackened, rotten flesh with their beaks and they were digging deeper, trying to dig for the maggot-infested innards and guts. Riley shivered, continuing to drive on until she found a house that was the most secluded. It looked like a two story house from what they were looking at. 

"Alright," Riley applied the brakes and put it in park, turning the car off. She ran to the passenger side and opened the door, grabbing onto Ellie and she wrapped Ellie's arm around her shoulder, guiding her to the house. "We're gonna get you all better, 'kay? Just..." She stops talking and tries to open, but it's locked from the inside. "Fuck this door," she said, trying to kick it open. After a few attempts, the door finally opens and the room reeks of the same smell that occupied the store— death. Riley finds the nearest recliner and gently sits Ellie down, propping her injured leg up on a table. She takes off the makeshift bandage and lifts up Ellie's jeans, looking at the bullet that is lodged in her leg. "Fuck, fuck, fuck..." Riley said. 

"What?" Ellie asked her, cringing in pain once again. "Is it that bad?"

"The bullet's in your leg. We gotta take this shit out before it does any worse." Riley looked over in the kitchen and tried to find a blade that didn't look dirty or anything that has been used to fend off anything foreign. She finds a small kitchen knife. It's not a surgeon's blade, but it will do, she thought to herself as she ran back to Ellie with the knife in her hand. "Alright, Ellie. I'll need you to bite down on something, okay?" She said as she grabbed a bandanna from her pocket and Ellie bites on it, gritting her teeth on it. 

"What ‘a ‘ew doin’ wi’ ‘dat ‘knibe—” Ellie’s voice is muffled by the bandanna, Riley ignores her pleas and questions as she starts to dig in the wound, pulling the bullet out of her leg, and the red liquid starts to increase and worsen. “Mmmmm!” She cried in pain, almost jerking her leg. 

“Keep still or shit’s gonna get worse!” Riley runs and grabs another knife in the kitchen and starts to pull the bullet up. “Goddamn, this sucker is huge…” She continued to pull it out, almost finished. She tries to block out the screaming, panting, and whimpering from Ellie as she pulled the rest of it out. “A .223, Jesus Christ…” Riley shuddered. Ellie jerked her leg back and grabbed onto it, spitting out the bandanna in both frustration, pain, and anger. 

“Goddamn it…!” She inhaled sharply, taking deep breaths. 

“It’s out,” Riley said. “Now I just need to disinfect it. Lemme find some alcohol and a cloth we can use, just sit tight.” Riley gets up and starts looking around in the kitchen, raiding the various shelves for anything containing alcohol. She finds a bottle of whiskey, something name-brand from twenty years ago. “That’ll do,” she thought out loud. She places the bottle next to Ellie and she runs upstairs, opening the door to the restroom and looking for anything that could be used. She finds a small, blue med-kit and opens it. Fuck, it’s empty, she thought. The restroom, like a lot of the other rooms, looked like they were ransacked. When she left the restroom, the foul stench grew stronger as she approached another door next to the restroom. She found a woman on the bed, with blackened liquid all over the bed and a large, gaping hole through her temple. On her nightstand, a note is neatly placed. It has a small, distinguishable cursive on the paper. This wasn’t the first time Riley has seen this, but it was rare to see a suicide note near them. 

The note reads, 

“To whoever finds this, I’m dead. I was the survivor of a community that knew each other before and even after the cordyceps epidemic. I had only a few supplies and I clearly wasn’t going to make it. I was bitten by one of the infected, but I managed to fight it off with the last bit of strength I had. I didn’t want to become one of those bastards that took my friends. My family. I’m going out on my own terms. There are a week’s worth of supplies in the basement below, so please use them wisely. Fight on and survive for the ones that aren’t here. 

Much Love,   
-P.” 

Riley sighed, leaving the note. 

“Rest in peace, lady.” She ran to the basement and found a large cloth wrap and rushed back over to Ellie with the bandage in hand. “I gotcha, I gotcha. Gimme your leg, okay?” Ellie nods, stretching her leg out. “Alright, this is gonna sting.” She starts to take a swig of the alcohol before pouring it in Ellie’s leg. 

“Aurgh! F-Fuck… You drink that shit? It tastes like piss,” Ellie gave her a disgusted look, but Riley ignored it with a smirk. 

“Girl, you don’t know what you’re missin’.” Riley then grabs a large piece of cloth and she starts to wrap the wound up. “Alright, this should do for now. But we’ll have to keep an eye on it to make sure that some of the lead didn’t get into your arteries.” Riley kept wrapping it up and finished it off with some tape to make sure it doesn’t unravel. “If it starts to hurt worse than usual, tell me.” 

“Thanks,” Ellie smiled to hide the pain. “When did you become a prestigious doctor?” She said the last part with a teasing tone. 

“All thanks to the Fireflies,” she answered. “Believe me, without them, I’d prolly be dead on the sidewalk, clicker chow, or even worse.” Riley chuckled. 

“You wouldn’t,” Ellie replied. “I mean… We have each other, right?” 

Riley looked down, sort of embarrassed but not angry. “Y-Yeah… We have each others’ backs.” She takes another sip off the whiskey bottle and then she gets up off the couch that sat next to the recliner, looking outside the window. “Doesn’t look like anything would try to come here, so it’s safe to say that we could prolly spend the night here? We have some food in the basement and some food we can take with us.” She changes the subject. Ellie nods, looking over at Riley taking off her large, bulky jacket. 

“So…” Ellie started. “...About what happened before that—”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Riley insisted harshly. 

“Well apparently, we do. I’m not gonna leave you alone about this just because you ‘don’t want to talk about it.’” She scooted up on the recliner and grew a serious face. “Why would you want to give up, hell— even think about it?” Riley tries to come up with an answer, but she cannot. 

“W-Well… Fine.” Riley sighed in defeat. “I’ve been thinking about something for a while now. Why do we fight to survive when we’re just delaying what’s inevitable?” She mumbled. “Why do we even try when we’re just gonna die later?” 

“That’s when you find something, like a cause or a loved one to fight for.” Ellie replied. “There were times that I wanted to give up before, but I... I kept going because I stayed alive this far. I can’t go back now.” Rain starts to tap on the windows, they grow louder as time goes on. “I fight because that’s all I know how to, and because of… Because of—” Before she could finish, there was a strange clicking noise at the door. It wasn’t the rain, no. Riley and Ellie were all too familiar and haunted by that sound. 

“Shh. Clicker,” Riley whispered as she got down and she reached for her handgun, preparing to stand ground. “Just when I fuckin’ say we can rest,” she growled. “Stay here, I’ll take care of this.” Riley watches the clicker stagger around, spasming and flinching. Clickers are the third stage of the infected, and the most known. Clickers are blind, but their heightened sense of hearing makes up for their lack of sight. They’re known for their clicking sound that they make, hence the name. 

“Here we go,” Riley looks over at the empty whiskey bottle and picks it up. This wasn’t her first time ever facing a Clicker. She’s seen worse. She opens the back door and crouches down, taking the banister as cover. She tosses the bottle on the road, waiting for the Clicker to take the bait. It was uglier than both the runners and the stalkers that she’s seen. Fungi grew on its face, covering its eyes and nose. Blood was dripping down its moss-covered mouth and rotting teeth, and Riley could see various small mushrooms growing on its neck and shoulders, only growing to be something larger— and more dangerous. The infected heard the bottle break onto the concrete, and it started to scream in anguish as it headed over to the noise. It started swinging its arms in an unpredictable, chaotic speed. Riley leapt forward and grabbed her pistol, unloading it on the clicker’s body. 

“Go… The fuck… Down!” Riley screamed at the monster, although it couldn’t really understand what she was saying. With runners and stalkers, a head-shot could do it. With Clickers, the hardened fungi on its head protected it. The rain continued to pour on the two of them, and the sky lit up with a large lightning strike. The Clicker falls down at her feet after a barrage of 9 millimetre bullets, but Riley kept shooting. It wasn’t to make sure that it was dead, it was for something else.

“Riley!” Ellie said, limping towards her. “That’s enough. It’s dead.”

“I—” Riley gulped. “I was just making sure, that’s all,” she lied to Ellie. “C’mon. Let’s go back in. We… Have a really long trip starting tomorrow.” She was out of breath and gasping, which was unlike her when she faced so much more before. Ellie looked at her with concern, and then looked back at the infected.

“Jesus…” Ellie sighed, closing the door behind her.


	3. Name in Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An in-over-her-head Riley meets her idol for the first time, only to be let down. A glimpse of Riley's past.

“I had to fight for my entire life,” a voice repeated in Riley’s head. That voice was right. She had to stab, shoot, take, punch, and kick her way to survive. “But is that _truly_ living?” She would ask that voice.

Her dreams were recurring. She couldn’t let go of the past, even though she truly wanted to. Something in her just _couldn’t._

Riley's hands were shaking, paralyzed in fear as she watched the person that she called "Dad" force her mother to the wall digging into his mother's flesh with his bare teeth. All she could hear was deathly screams from her mother as blood splattered on the wall and the floor. The crimson liquid clashing with the blue walls and white flooring.

 _M-Mom! Dad! She squealed as her mother tossed her hand and screamed in pain. Get the fucking gun, n-now— Ahhhh!_ Her mother let out a blood-curdling scream as she ran for the kitchen table and hastily picked up the revolver that rested on it. Her hands and palms sweating, trembling. The finger twitches as she stares at the monster who was once her father feasting on her mother’s insides, guts, and flesh as her mother’s screams and cries weren’t as loud as they once were. They were almost silent. She pulled the trigger on the infected, closing her eyes at the last second as her father took the bullet, only chasing after Riley with a rabid bloodlust. She unloaded the rest of whatever was in the gun chaotically and wildly. _Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang._ Everything was different for Riley this time. Her heart was beating faster. The revolver shot louder. The screams though... That was the loudest thing in the room, and it pierced her heart. The large figure in comparison to a very young Riley collapsed on her feet as she backed up in fear, whimpering. She was trained to kill infected and even people, but she wasn't trained to kill the people that she once loved. She ran to her mother who was lying on the floor, taking her last few breaths. 

_Riley... I want you to— fuck... Listen to me. Run. Run as fast as you can and don't look ba—_ Her mother's head slumped to the left as the blood was all over the tile and walls, mixed with Riley's river that she cried. The ones who protected her were gone, and no one was there to save her. She did as her mother told her after grabbing as much as she could in her worn navy blue backpack with various holes on the bottom. She ran outside of the house and never looked back. It wasn't too long after the sun rose behind her, and headlights of an armed truck in black. It stopped and it honked at the girl who didn't even turn back. A few men got out of the truck, all decked out repping army badges and patches that were worn, and barely meant anything now. All of them were armed with rifles. One pointed their weapons at Riley and loaded it threateningly. 

_Turn around with your hands up! This is an order by an army offical._ An older, scruffy man barked at her.

_Calm it, a younger man said. It's just a little girl._

_Little girls can still be infected, private. I'm not plannin' on being food for infected, so I'm not gonna fuckin' risk it, He replied. Turn around, now._ She slowly puts her hands up, and her eyes still puffy and red from crying. Her breathing is irregular and chaotic from all the running.

 _P-Please... Don't hurt me,_ Riley mumbled weakly. 

_Oh, shit. Check this one for bites, the old man said as the younger one came up and tried to touch her._ She twitches and throws her arm back in fear. Being touched was the last thing she wanted. _Hey, hey, hey... It's okay. We just wanna see if you're not hurt anywhere,_ the younger official said. _She looks okay, physically speaking..._ He said. _I guess we'll be taking her somewhere safe for now?_

 _Mm. We need to,_ the older man said.

 _Alright, just hold on for a sec. T_ he younger man kneels down and looks the distrusting Riley in the eyes. _Where are your parents?_ He asked.

 _They... They're..._ Riley doesn't say anything more, only incomprehensible mumbling. _Dad got infected and... Mom…_

 _Jesus Christ... Look, we're gonna take you somewhere, okay?_ He said grabbing a hold of the girl's hand and guiding her to the armed vehicle. Cries, screams, and resisting follows until the truck door is slammed on her. She kept on fighting, but to no avail.

It was years later. She was taller, and her skin had more bruises and scars from many adversaries such as rabid animals, guard dogs, humans, and infected. Riley was in the cafeteria, fists landing on children who were older than her, both boys and girls alike. It was usual for them to pick on those younger than them so they could steal extra rations, but Riley wasn't going to give it to them. She goes down swinging.

 _F-Fuck you— Ugh!_ Riley got punched before she could finish. The boy stares upon her and grins. Two girls held her arms back so Riley couldn't fight back. 

_Just gimme your rations and we'll have no problem,_ the boy growled as he cracked his knuckles. _C'mon, you little bitch. I want seconds!_

This kept on for months until she found some broken glass from a beer bottle a drunken guard dropped one night. Not sharper than a knife, but it'll do. She waited until tomorrow where the sun was beating down on everyone’s backs. It was 12:30 p.m., which was the usual lunch time. Since there was a drastic food shortage, you would have to be lucky or extremely early to get your day’s fill. First come, first serve. She left with food on her tray. It wasn’t enough to fill her up, but it was good enough to keep her from starving. Before she could leave, she heard a familiar voice laughing sadistically. 

_You should know your place!_ The very same two girls and the boy in their late teens kicked a much younger girl while she was down. Worn combat boots, converses, and dirty shoes came into contact with the young girl’s face, stomach, and ribs. She looked new to the place. Her hair was oily and her face was bruised and bloody. She dropped her plate of food and grabbed her shard of glass, running towards the boy with her teeth grinding in fury. The boy didn’t see it coming until about half of the shard stabbed him in the stomach. The two girls only stood there, and Riley kicked the two girls out of the way. 

_Y-You fuckin’... Aurgh!_ He groaned and seethed in pain, ripping the glass out of his stomach as he backed away from the new girl. He threw the glass at the brick wall as a bit of his blood stained his white shirt. 

_Steal from someone your own fuckin’ size!_ Riley roared as the two girls disappeared into thin air. 

_I’ll tell the commanding officer about this!_ He said as he followed the two girls shortly after. 

_Go ahead and tell your daddy!_ Riley shouted into the nothingness. She then looked over at Ellie and sighed. _Fuck, the commanding officer’s gonna have my fucking hyde for that shit. You okay there?_

 _Y-Yeah… Who the fuck’s that guy, anyway?_ The new girl got up on her knees and slowly got up, grunting. _Ouch…_

 _Ian. He and his posse go and steal rations from people who’re weaker, usually._ She pointed to a purple-ish black bruise on her cheek. _Cocksucker did that to me yesterday._

 _Jesus,_ the new girl responded. _Can’t you tell anybody?_

 _No. The commanding officer is Ian’s father, and you already know how that is._ Riley offered the new girl her shoulder and she glanced down at her. _So… I haven’t seen you ‘round here. When did you get here?_ She asked. 

_Just yesterday, actually. Got welcomed by… Those three._ She chuckled bitterly. 

_Well… Welcome to hell, New Kid. The name’s Riley,_ she smiled. _What’s yours?_

 _Ellie,_ she replied. 

Ellie had no parents that cared for her. Her mother disappeared shortly after she was born and her father was never in the picture. Riley could relate to her, in a way. Both were on their own without anyone to care for them. Just two kids against the world where everything could go wrong. 

Years passed by and the two grew older, and they got brave enough to sneak outside at night past curfew, exploring the world outside the U.S. refugee base. The rules got stricter and stricter as time went on, but the girls were one step ahead of them. It was one night where Riley and Ellie were walking in the woods and found a stop sign with a familiar insignia sprayed on it that made Riley’s eyes beam. It was only after an encounter with a horde of infected where Riley and Ellie saw their very first firefly. 

_Shit, I’m outta bullets!_ Riley shouted. _All we can do is run,_ she said, grabbing Ellie’s hand and running to the general direction of where their camp was. Headlights emerged on the road, blinding them as four people got out of the car, mowing down infected. The woman was braking orders at her team as Ellie and Riley could only observe and watch professionals at work. _W-Woah…_ Riley’s eyes grew wider, staring at the leader barking orders as she fired off shotgun rounds into a few Clickers. After it was all clear, the leader stared at the two girls with a cold, apathetic expression. 

_Why’re you out so late?_ The woman asked harshly.

 _‘Cause the camp gets really boring after a while,_ Ellie replied. _You’d do the same thing—_

 _Rather die from infected than die from boredom?_ She interrupted. _We’ll get you back to wherever you came from, but you two need to get back home._

 _Are you Fireflies?_ Riley asked, looking at the pins and the armor with the insignia sprayed on the vests and weaponry. 

_No. This logo is just in style._ The woman rolled her eyes. _We’re Fireflies._ The woman sighed as the other members stood there idly, waiting for orders. _Just by guessing, you live in that base that’s about fifteen minutes driving distance, right?_

 _Y-Yeah…_ Riley said. 

_We’ll take you there, but we can’t baby you. We can’t drive you all the way there, since the military isn’t exactly fond of us._ She opened the car door and started the engine, but it stalled. She tries again. Nothing. One more time. Still nothing. _Shit,_ she mumbled under her breath. 

_Car won’t start?_ Ellie asked. 

_Yeah,_ the woman nodded her head. _We’re just gonna have to walk there._

 _We know where to go,_ Riley replied. _We cut through a small city and gather supplies and then go in through an alley, where we climb up the fence. We gotta be up there before morning, though. They usually do a room check at seven._

 _Well, let’s go then._ The leader commanded as she followed the two girls into the city. The place reeked full of death— both by roadkill and the poor people that didn’t have luck on their side that day. The buildings were dauntingly tall, worn, and with plenty of broken glass on the road and sidewalk. 

_What’re your names, by the way?_ Ellie asked. 

_Marlene,_ she bluntly answered, without asking the same. 

_Well… Mine’s Ellie._ She tried to break the awkward silence. Marlene’s eyes widened, walking to the girl in her general direction. 

_Wait… Is your last name Williams by any chance?_ Marlene asked. 

_Y-Yeah. Williams. How’d you know?_

_I… I knew someone with your last name. Her name was Anna Williams._ She replied. _We were really close. She was actually someone I’d trust my life with._

 _‘Was,’ huh…_ Ellie sighed. 

_I— I thought you knew. I’m sorry. If it makes you feel any better… She saved my ass more times than I could count, as I did her._ She kept walking, pointing the flashlight left and right, checking for any threats around them. 

_How did she… Y’know, uh…_ Ellie was holding back tears, her voice was squeaking, and her heart sunk to the glass-polluted floor. The glass wasn’t what stabbed her heart, though. 

_From childbirth._ She replied. _I’m really sorry, I thought you knew. If I knew you didn’t I wouldn’t ‘ve said anything._

 _So it was— never mind._ Ellie took a deep breath and kept going, although her solemn face really made the conversation awkward. 

_Ellie, I…_ Riley tried to put her arm around her shoulder, but then decided to back off at the last minute. They continued trekking through the middle of the road, saying barely anything at all. The moon stares down at the group as Riley takes a sharp left. 

_Hey. You._ Marlene points at Riley. _Don’t just go around a building. Look and check your corners, or else you’ll end up like that back there._ The day-old body looks up at the sky with dead eyes, like it was looking for counsel from whatever they believed in. Unfortunately that counsel wasn’t given. _It doesn’t seem like you have a death wish, so just be careful._

 _Got it._ Riley nods, doing as Marlene told her. 

_Go by your five senses. You don’t see anything out of the normal, you don’t hear anything, you don’t smell anything, and you can’t feel any danger…_ Marlene said. 

_Can’t really taste danger,_ Riley chuckled. Marlene only rolled her eyes, ignoring her joke. _Anyway, all clear._ She said. Riley guided the way as she grabbed her pistol. She stares at the Firefly dog tag that hangs off of Marlene’s thin neck. _So…_ Riley looked over at Marlene. _Are you lookin’ for any recruits?_

 _You two?_ Marlene scoffed. _Don’t make me laugh. You two could barely make it by yourselves, much less with the government on your ass._ Marlene shook her head, sighing. 

_I have done everything I could to be here,_ Riley growled. _...I watched my dad turn and rip my mom to shreds. I killed my own father._

 _Congratulations, you're just like every other survivor in this world._ Marlene said with a monotone, heartless voice. _Look. From my experiences… One human can be twice as dangerous as fifteen bloaters._ Marlene gets in front of Riley, looking down upon her. 

_But—_

_You wanna know about the last person your age that tried joining the Fireflies?_ Marlene interrupted. _She got ambushed by Hunters. She was raped as her teammates could do nothing but watch. Only two of the six came back alive to tell the story… Two. The girl, she—_ she sighed, holding back her rage. _What was left of her was nothing but ash._ She shook her head and then looked back at Ellie and Riley. 

_Marlene…_ Riley stumbled to find what next to say, only to fail. “Congratulations, you’re just like every other survivor in this world.” These words repeated in Riley’s head, over and over. Maybe… Maybe she was right. Maybe Marlene was right, but Riley didn’t want to give up. Not here, not now. 

She never really was the type to just lie down and accept defeat. She will fight for her survival, even if her name will forever be etched in blood. 

Riley was a warrior. 


	4. Lazarus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie and Riley finally arrive in Tennessee. Ellie's thoughts about her mother come back to life after bottling them up for so long.

Riley was behind the wheel once again as Ellie was plundering inside the car, finding anything worthwhile to pass the time. The sky was overcast, but it wasn't raining unlike yesterday. Riley presses on the gas pedal, going seventy even though the sign behind them read “forty five.” Then again, who would really stop them? Ellie opens the glove compartment to find a few cassette tapes that look playable.

“Look what I found,” Ellie said. 

“Damn. That’s old geezer technology.” Riley glanced over at the cassette before looking back on the road again. “Who is it?” Riley asked. 

“Doesn’t say. It’s blank.” Ellie answered, putting it in anyways. The music starts with a Drop-C twelve-string acoustic guitar playing in the background, playing a melancholy tone with a swing. A voice soon follows after the introduction.

“Not bad,” Ellie said, now leaning the seat back and staring up at the ceiling of the car. 

_ “Take me home, yeah _

_ From this lonesome place _

_ Well, now a while lotta people put me down a lotta changes _

_ My girl had called me a disgrace…” _

The lyrics continued on as Riley drove on, and the sun climbed up on top of the sky, looking down on the earth. Riley stayed silent, staring at the rear view mirror with conflicted feelings. Feelings of bitterness and relief that she left that place that she once called “home.” There was something that started to grow inside like a weed. It was… Sorrow. Regret from all the things that she could have done, but haven’t. That worry of what could have been was what scared her the most. It wasn’t the animals, it wasn’t the infected. Not even humans. It was the many possibilities of her in a better life. It was what she  _ didn’t  _ do that scared her the most. 

It was her fault that her father turned. It was her fault that her mother died.  _ It’s all my fucking fault— _

“Well…” Ellie interrupted Riley’s train of thought. “We’re outta Georgia.” She points to a sign that reads “WELCOME TO TENNESSEE” all in bold.

“Hm? Oh, yeah…” She replied half-heartedly. “I heard that Alabama is Hunter territory, so we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled.” She stared at the bent and vandalized stop sign that leads into a city. Somebody sprayed “Don’t” on top of “Stop.” Either that is an optimistic message or it’s a literal meaning of “don’t stop or else you’ll be bait for Hunters.” Either way, Riley and Ellie could barely do even one of those. 

“I think we should keep going. We have some supplies and we’re good on gas,” Riley sighed. “We’ll stop at night to find a place to sleep or if it’s a big emergency.” She turned up the radio to drown out the larger noise going on in her head. A group of stalkers gawk at the truck and lunge toward the vehicle, only to become roadkill. Some still chased after the truck, but not even stalkers could catch up with an automobile from going sixty-five. Soon after, 

“Mhm,” Ellie nodded. The music stopped playing after the cassette clicked. The only sound now was the purr of the engine. After some time of long silence, Ellie opens her book bag and opens a worn piece of paper that is stained yellow with scribbled handwriting. 

_ Ellie,  _

_ I'm going to share a secret with you, I'm not a big fan of kids and I hate babies. And yet... I'm staring at you and I'm just awestruck. _

_ You're not even a day old and holding you is the most incredible thing I've done in my life - a life that is about to get cut a little short.  _

_ Marlene will look after you. There's no one in this world I trust more than her. When the time comes she'll tell you all about me. Don't give her too much of a hard time. Try not to be as stubborn as me. _

_ I'm not going to lie, this is a pretty messed up world. It won't be easy. The thing you always have to remember is that life is worth living! Find your purpose and fight for it. _

_ I see so much strength in you. I know you'll turn out to be the woman you're meant to be. _

_ Forever... your loving mother _

So much for Marlene looking after me, Ellie thought. She had this thought that she would reunite with her mother one day. She hung on to this false hope, but she had that cynical gut feeling that she was dead. She goes back to the time where she first encountered Marlene. 

_ Marlene, wait.  _ Ellie tried to get her attention.  _ Why did you leave me with them? Mom’s letter said that you would— _

_ I had to do what I had to in order to protect you,  _ Marlene replied bluntly.  _ I loved your mother very much… But I needed to keep my promise to her. I wanted to keep you alive, even though that means me leaving you there.  _ She sighs, looking down at her feet and then back at Ellie.  _ Like I said to your friend earlier, you aren’t ready for the Fireflies, hell— any of this.  _

_ Were you ready?  _ Ellie answered Marlene with another question. 

_ To be completely honest… No, I wasn’t. Your mother wasn’t either. We were just a bit older than you. About eighteen,  _ she answered.  _ We had to do what we had to do to survive, though. We had to live with the hand that life dealt us.  _

_ What was… What was she like?  _ Ellie asked timidly. 

_ Anna was Stubborn, but she knew what she wanted.  _ Marlene started to chuckle, reminiscing of what happened so long ago.  _ I guess I’m sort of that way as well, but… Not as much as she was.  _

_ So you really weren’t ready,  _ Riley interrupted. _ So why’re you on our asses saying ‘you aren’t ready?’  _ Riley mocked.  _ Or is that just you on your high horse? _

_ Because I don’t want you to end up like me… Or worst case scenario, like Anna.  _ Marlene answered, peeved at Riley’s sarcasm.  _ I lost sleep from the guilt I have. I might be surviving, but I’m not living. I’m not thriving.  _ Before they knew it, they finally reached the exit of the small city. 

_ We’re here…  _ Ellie sighed, interrupting the argument. 

_ We can’t go any further from here. I don’t want to get shot just over getting two girls home.  _ One of the men said, looking at Marlene. 

_ Yeah,  _ Marlene nodded.  _ Be careful, you two.  _ She turned around and didn’t look back. Ellie watched them leave one by one, Riley turning around and leaving the other direction in a huff, gritting her teeth. 

“Hey, Riley.” The black sky and cityscape cuts back to the contrast of later afternoon on a lifeless highway, Riley half-asleep behind the wheel from driving so long. “I’ve been thinking about something lately.” She looked over to her and hesitated to say it at first. 

“What’s up?” Riley asked. 

“Is it my… I mean, when Marlene sees us again in Seattle. Are you sure she’ll take it well?” Ellie asked with uncertainty. “She sure as hell didn’t before.”

“She will.” Riley answered. “I know she will.”

“How d’you know?” Ellie asked her, putting the letter away. 

“I just do, okay? After all we’ve been through and how far we came, she can’t say no now. What’s she gonna do, take us all the way back to Georgia?” Riley snorted. “I don’t think so.” 

“You got a plan for everything, don’t you?” She asked. “What happens if that backfires and shit hits the fan?” 

“Well, there’s a bunch of things that can happen,” Riley replied. “We’ll have to think quickly on our feet. That’s what we did to get to this point. Plans don’t work a lot of times, but they’re great to have. You can’t put your eggs all in one basket, y’know.” 

“Can’t really argue against that.” Ellie stares off, looking at the trees covered in moss that stand deathly still. On the side of the road, there’s two deer grazing on the grass. They glare at the oncoming vehicle, frozen like the trees were. One had large antlers while the other was smaller compared to the buck. They run off with only their white tail and hooves in sight as they prance into the woods. It was rare to see deer around highways, since the infected didn’t really discriminate against their prey. “Woah,” Ellie mumbled. 

“They were cute _doe_ ,” Riley grinned. 

“I guess you could say… A _ doe _ rable.” Ellie chuckled, but Riley only snorts at the playful pun. 

“That was  _ bucking _ terrible,” Riley smiled, riffing back and forth with Ellie before soon when things fell back into an awkward silence once again. Riley and Ellie were trying to think about something else, but nothing was working. They were growing louder and more noticeable.

_ It was all my fault.  _

They're in the darkness, and they're looking for the light. Is the light that they're so desperately searching for _really_ with the Fireflies? Or is it somewhere else? 


	5. Wanted Man (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie and Riley continue their journey to Seattle by arriving at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The pick-up truck rolls on forward with only one of the headlights working, cruising the highway as they approach a sign that reads  _ Now Entering… Chattanooga.  _ Ellie looks at the sign and then inspects the ripped map, squinting her eyes at the various cities labelled on Tennessee. 

“Huh,” she uttered. 

“What’s up? Don’t tell me we’re going the wrong way,” Riley chuckled. 

“Oh, nah. There’s— there  _ were  _ just a lot of zoos and museums around here.” Ellie closed the map and looked over at the tall skyscrapers that were getting closer. They knew that there were dangers in a city like this. It could be herds of fungi-riddled infected or gangs of people that don’t take too kindly to strangers. The Hunters ruled the majority of the east coast, from Pennsylvania all the way down to Florida. The Survivors took over the Midwest starting from Detroit, Michigan to Nebraska. These were the two mainly known gangs besides the smugglers and the bandits, which were everywhere and in for themselves and didn’t really stick to a group. 

The Hunters were fierce, and their origin came from distrust of the government after not getting their rations. Days became weeks, weeks became months. Their quarantine zone became abandoned by the ones that were supposed to care for them, and all seemed lost for them— until a voice roared out in anger within the lost and starving crowd.  _ Why the fuck are waiting for some pieces of shit in camo uniforms to give us food!? _ Everyone’s eyes were on him as he got in the center and started preaching the sermon that changed everything.  _ They’ve abandoned us, and we need to fend for ourselves. Fuck them, fuck waiting and begging for what we need. We’ll TAKE it!  _

The abandoned and starving loved this. They were going to call the shots and whoever in the way would only have a moment before getting killed, and those last moments weren’t in bliss. Soon after, a radio signal interrupted the airwaves in Pittsburgh’s military base to the entire state.  _ If you can stand then you can fight! Anyone that refuses to fight with us will be banished. Anyone that supports the army will be made an example of. Tonight we put an end to this tyranny and start a new life for ourselves.  _ They grew and spread their ideologies to the lower parts of the States, all the way down to Florida. They ruled the east coast, pushing the military out to the west. It felt good to them to bite the hand that fed them then left them to die. They weren’t just surviving like before, they were thriving. 

Riley and Ellie were still in Hunter territory, and they knew what happened to the ones that were too slow, had no more ammo, or just unfortunate. The Hunters looted for what they were worth and burned the rest to ash. Those poor, unfortunate souls were referred to as “tourists” by The Hunters. Riley kept on driving, swerving past the few cars that hadn't been cranked in (what it looked like) about two years or so. Fungi and rust was more present than the car’s paint job itself. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Riley huffed in frustration as she looked at the guage and hit the steering wheel with a clenched fist. 

“What’s wrong?” Ellie asked. 

“She’s running on empty. We’ll have to walk soon.” She sighed, looking at the check engine light that came on a moment ago. “Well… On the bright side, we’re at least in Tennessee and still not in Georgia.” She chuckled awkwardly, rolling her eyes. “Well… Y’know what to do. We can’t fuck around here, the state lines and city limits are where Hunters usually patrol. So be careful,” Riley looked at Ellie. “You gonna be okay? With the leg and all?” She asked. 

“Yeah,” Ellie nodded after a long time of silence. 

“We’ll scrounge around for supplies, but I doubt we’ll find any since Hunters will pick a place clean.” She kept driving until the car sputtered and slowed down, the car slowing down as Riley floored the gas pedal on and off a few times, but to no avail. “Goddammit. Welp, looks like we’re walkin’.” 

“Hey look, a grocery store. Maybe we could look for some more supplies there?” Ellie shrugged. 

“Eh, anything’s worth a shot at this point.” Riley replied. “Pick up whatever you can fit in your bag.” She gets out of the truck and gives it one final kick on the wheel in a huff, then leaving it to rust with the rest of the vehicles that’re more brown than their previous paint job. Ellie and Riley ran to the one-story store with a broken sign that displays out on the front. It read “A AND ’S ROCERY,” all in bold and in a faded pink-red colour. The once pre-apocalypse white turned to a cavity yellow and brown in some places, and the pole looked like it could be kicked over at any moment. Various windows were shattered while the few were covered in moss and dirt. 

“Aand’s Rocery?” Ellie snorted. 

“Prolly ‘Amanda’s Grocery’ or somethin’.” Riley tilted her head Ellie climbed through the window with Riley following. They both reach for their pistols and turn on their flashlights, checking their corners. Nothing between the shelves. They reach the middle of the store and find one man strapped to a chair, and his head slumped over and his gravy blown out his biscuit, with one of the barely working store lights shining down on the reeking and bleeding corpse. It didn’t look like a tourist, there was a Hunter insignia sprayed onto his sleeve on his soaked long-sleeve shirt. “Holy shit…” Riley whispered. There’s a piece of paper that laid on the dead man’s lap, the man’s blood was the makeshift ink.  _ WHERE IS THE GIRL?  _ It read. The blood looks faded on last few letters. 

“Looks like somebody was pissed,” Ellie cringed, looking at the carcass and some of his brains leaking from his skull. “I don’t wanna meet whoever did this, so I suggest we get the fu—” 

“The gunshot came from this way!” Multiple figures cloaked in the darkness ran towards them, checking the store. “Shit. Ethan wasn’t responding to intercoms, right?” 

“Nope. Tried like five times and no answer. D-Do you think…”

“Think that the dude that came up and fucking  _ shot up the outpost  _ can be the cause of this? Yeah, Sherlock. Pretty certain,” he sighed. 

Ellie and Riley searched for cover and they looked over at each other. 

“Run?” Riley whispered. 

“Run.” Ellie confirmed as she snuck away, lurking in the darkness. Their hearts were racing as the Hunters advanced towards their casualty. 

“Oh, God… Ethan!” One of them said. “Shit, he’s dead…” He uttered. “Wait… It really was him! He’s looking for the girl!” 

“Oh,  _ hell no…  _ We’ll make good and sure that sumbitch’ll pay.” He grabs a walkie talkie and growls at the receiving end. “Get the girl. We’re gonna make whoever did this regret it.” 


End file.
